Cigar-box



0.,*W. HARIVIS.

cle/m sox.;

APPLICATION FILED 050.2. 1,918. u l i I Patented July 22, 1919. v

E l i i r STATS OTTO W. HARMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

v CIGAnfB'ox.

Application led December 2, 1918.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OTTO W. HARMs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Boxes; and I do hereby declare the following toy be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, art to which it appertains to make and use y the same.

gars, its general object being My invention relatesto containers for ci-v will compl inexpensive `container whic p v 'while' sti l with the internal revenue laws,

` affording the display feature,the protection against the drying out of the cigars, and the flavoring of the cigars 'by the wood, as are afforded by the vmore expensive methods of packaging now yin `common use. More pa-rticularly, my invention aims to providean innercontainer or box adapted to be inserted in a wooden cigar box of the ordinary type, the inner containerbeing cheaply constructed and Varranged in compliance with the internal revenue laws, and being `also v arranged for permitting the flavor of the wood to penetrate to the cigars, and for permitting a ready removal of the inner con tainer when empty. A

Heretofore it has been customary to pack cigars direct into wooden boxes, which boxes were then sealed by aliixing the proper revenue stamps in such a manner that the hinged covers couldfnot be swung open without first tearing or cutting the stamps. The

revenue laws lspecifically require theaboxesl to be so arranged that the stamp cannot be left intact when the box is opened, and these laws also specify that the box in which the cigars are packed must not be used again for the same purpose. Because of this last requirement, it has heretofore beennecessary to provide new wooden boxes for each batch of cigars, and with the increase in cost due to war conditions, this has meant a considerable addition to the total cost of the cigars, even when the box was made of cheapwood. Furthermore, this item in cost has been still greater when the boxes were made of the kinds of wood which help to impart the most desirable avor to the cigars, such as the Spanish cedar. In practice, the fiavoring power of the wood of a cigar box is only utilized to a small. extent by a single filling speeificannl of Letters raient.

such as will enable others skilled in the y to provide an'v Patented July 22, 1919. serial No. 264,908.

of cigars, hence the destroying of the box after `each single filling'has meant a very iiieicient use ofthe wood and the resultin heavy expense has further been augmented bythe `costof the display labels as commonly placed on the inside covers of the woodenboxes.

-My invention aims `to utilize both the strong flavoring quality ofthe wood and the durability of the display labels more fully, and to provide an arrangement wherebythe wooden box as at present in common use will serve` as a flavor-imparting and display-permitting housing Afor a series of inner containers successively packed into the wooden box the internal revenue laws. f More particularly, my inventionalso aims to provide innericontainers for this purpose which may be arranged for preventing access to the cigars without a prior rupturing of the revenne-stampy or a damaging of the box; to provide means for 4readily permitting the flavor of the wood to penetrate the walls of the inner container, and to provide means for readily fromthe outer box. `Toillustrate how my invention may be carried out,

Figure l of the accompanying drawings shows a cigar box embodying my invention, with a part of the outer container broken away to disclose the inner container.

. Fig. 2 is an enlargedv longitudinal section taken through the inner container and showing the lifting tabsfon this container in their -raised positions.

Fig.` 3` is -`an enlarged transversesection taken centrally through the saine container.

In the embodiments of the drawings, my invention includes an outer box l, desirablyr made of such wood as will impart a leasing flavor to cigars as for example panish cedar. This box desirably has the usual ornamental label on the inside of its cover to aid in identifying and displaying its contents, but the cigars are not packed directly into this box. Instead, the cigars are packed originally into an inner container which fits snugly into the box l and which can be lifted out of the latter by lifting tabs or straps 2. This inner container is desirably made of cardboard with the sides and bottom rigidly fastened to each other, but with the top 3 consisting of a sheet of cardboard .adapted to rest loosely on the walls and arranged to comply `with i of the container. To hold this topor cover plate 3 in position, wide paper strips 4 and 5 are secured to the ends '6 of the container and are folded over each other, substantially as shown in Fig. sealed in position by means revenue stamp 7. The usual of the usual Caution notice may also be afiixed substantially so as to seal one as shown in the drawings,

to a side of the l filled with cigars and sealed by means of the customary revenue stamp 7, the inner `oo ntainer forms a package which may readily behandled without spilling its contents, 'and from which the cigars cannot beremoved without either damaging this container or rupturing the revenue stamp. Consequently, this inner container complies with the internal revenue laws, and such cigar filled con-- tainers can then be displayed interchange ably in one and the same outer box l. Whenever a new container'is set into this `outer box,the revenue stamp is torn to permit the tearing o'lf ot the covering strips 4 and 5, thus permitting the cover plate -3 to be lifted f oi and thereby `exposing the cigars to view.

i the wooden box;

Consequently, the cigars when thus displayed in the showcase will appear approximately as they would if packed directly into However, when a container is empty, it can readily be lifted out of the Copies of this patent may be obtained for 2, after which they are the imperfect joint wooden box by means of the straps 2, and a illed container can then be substituted for it.

In this manner, I am able to use one and the same wooden box over and over again for the same brand of cigars while complying with the revenue laws, thereby saving both the large difference in cost between the wooden box and the inner cardboard container, and also the cost of the handsome label as desirably used ori-the inside cover ci the box. To allow for the thickness of the inner container, the dimensions of the wooden box may be increased slightlyrover those of the boxes as ordinarily used for the same size and Shape of cigars, but the increased amount of wood required for this purpose is so small that the diiference in cost is negligible in practice. "I am therefore able to effect a considerable saving, though I do not wish to be limited to theprecise shape of parts as illustrated, nor to the partieulardetails of construction and arrangement, it being obvious that these might be modiiied in many ways without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

' In combination Wi h a cigar box madeo flavoring wood a package formed Ato inclose the cigars and to contormably fit within the box and having means whereby the iavor of the wood may have access tothe cigars within the package, and means whereby to seal said package so as to require` mutilation. of the package in order to allow of removal of the cigarsfrom thepackagasaid package being bodily removable from the box so as t@ allow the latter to be reused with a fresh sealed and stamped package containing cigars. i

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, November 29th, 1918. l

erro w. Hanns.

ve cents each, `by adressing theo'mmissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 09' 

